Tag Archives: medical

The Pennsylvania Bar Institute and the Sports Lawyers Association are hosting a 3 hour crash course on concussion litigation on April 29, starting at 3 p.m., at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.

The presentation will cover the anatomy of a concussion by a medical doctor and lessons from an attorney that filed the first lawsuits on behalf of NFL players ,and where the litigation currently stands. Attendees will also gain an understanding of the workers’ compensation issues involved in concussion injuries. Ethics will also be covered throughout the program.

In a Minnesota federal court on Monday, February 29, 2016, the National Hockey League filed a motion to compel the medical examinations of some of the former players in the concussion MDL suit currently sitting against the league. The NHL argues that in cases of this nature, i.e., those where a plaintiff makes a claim about his current and future mental and physical health, it is routine procedure for said plaintiff to undergo an independent examination. The league’s memo in support argues there exists good cause for a confirmation that the specific injuries plaintiffs claim they suffer from, such as neurological disorders like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, actually are present and were related to their hockey careers.

Specifically, the NHL is seeking the medical examinations of five of the named plaintiffs in the concussion suit, including former Buffalo Sabre Stephen Ludzik. Ludzik has filed for permission to represent a proposed class of ex-players who suffer from CTE and other brain diseases caused from repetitive head trauma while playing hockey.

The examinations the league is calling for may seem fairly grueling, as they would require the former players to undergo 12 to 14 hours of testing, including having blood work drawn and being subject to an MRI. Neurological, neuropsychological, and psychiatric examinations would also be conducted, according to the memo in support, as they are necessary to prove/disprove plaintiffs’ allegations. No timeframe is yet scheduled as to when the motion might be ruled on, but it is worth noting that over the last few months, both sides to the suit have continuously battled over a proposed moratorium on discovery while the league awaits a ruling on its 2014 motion to dismiss.

The registry, called CON-TEX, is designed to capture comprehensive, longitudinal data on individuals age 5 and over who have suffered sports-related concussion or other forms of mild traumatic brain injury (TBI).

An estimated 3.8 million recreational and athletic concussions occur in the United States each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“There is so much we do not know in the area of concussion,” said Dr. Munro Cullum, Professor ofPsychiatry and Neurology and Neurotherapeutics at UT Southwestern, and Principal Investigator for the CON-TEX study. “We will study the natural history of concussions, obtain information about how and where they take place, and then conduct rigorous clinical research designed to improve the treatment of this common injury.”

Participants will be questioned about their concussion history, family medical background, neurocognitive test results before and after concussion, and recovery experience, including when they returned to school, work, and/or competition. Three months after their initial review, participants’ health statuses will be reevaluated. Those involved in the study will have the opportunity to enroll in future clinical trials that test innovative therapies and diagnostic approaches.

CON-TEX is a collaboration involving health care professionals in neuropsychology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, neurology and neurotherapeutics, neurological surgery, pediatrics, psychiatry, and sports medicine at UT Southwestern, Children’s Medical Center Dallas, Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, and Texas Health Resources Ben Hogan Sports Medicine. The study’s multidisciplinary approach will yield a comprehensive examination of sports- and nonsports-related concussion and analysis of current recovery patterns and management strategies. Knowledge from these studies will guide best practices to improve the long-term health of student and adult athletes in Texas and beyond.

Initially, CON-TEX aims to enroll 300 to 500 participants through 2016 who are patients at the participating institutions.

“Our long-term goal is a better understanding of concussion, its risks, treatment, and prevention,” said Dr. Cullum, “not just in student athletes, but for people in all stages of life, whether they are children or adults on bikes or playing sports, military personnel in combat, or seniors who experience a fall.”

The initial phase of the CON-TEX study is funded by TIBIR and a grant from the David M. Crowley Foundation. TIBIR is a state-funded initiative to promote innovative research and education in traumatic brain injury, with the goals of accelerating translation into better diagnosis and revolutionizing care for millions of people who suffer concussions and other types of brain injuries each year.

UT Southwestern recently established the Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute, a comprehensive initiative dedicated to better understanding the basic molecular workings of the brain and applying these discoveries to the prevention and treatment of brain diseases and injuries.